Week of Aug 5 - 11

[matt (Matt Kiser)]

Interview negotiations continue. Trump's lawyers responded to Mueller's terms for an interview with Trump, sending him a counteroffer at the end of last week. In the latest terms, Mueller's team held firm on the need to question trump about coordination with Russia and obstruction of justice, but agreed to accept some written answers. Trump's counteroffer did not reject an interview, but essentially stated that Trump will not be asked questions about obstruction of justice. Trump's lawyers fear that obstruction of justice questions, in particular, are a perjury trap set for Trump.

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/08/12/week-of-aug-5-11/

[anon95374541]

@matt

New information on Peter Smith. Buzzfeed has reviewed documents that reveal GOP operative Peter Smith made thousands of dollars in suspicious transactions during the time frame he was in contact with at least two sets of what he believed to be Russian hackers. A person close to Smith “stated that he was prepared to pay hackers ‘many thousands of dollars’ for Clinton’s emails — and ultimately did so.”

The Lawfare podcast did a special edition deep dive on this story with Buzzfeed reporter Anthony Cormier and former assistant attorney general for national security David Kris. It’s worth a listen

The Lawfare Podcast: Special Edition: Buzzfeed Follows Peter Smith’s Money - Lawfare